Automatic machine for processing thermionic tubes and the like



Nov. 20, 1934. H. w. PARKER ET AL 1,981,149

AUTOMATIC MACHINE FOR PROCESSING THERMIONIC TUBES AND THE LIKE Filed Sept. 10. 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS Ham-q W Parker 110313111 Ruhmsnn Enkins Nov. 20, 1934. H. w. PARKER ET AL AUTOMATIC MACHINE FOR PROCESSING THERMIONIC TUBES AND THE LIKE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 10 1932 INVENTORS Henry W. Parkmtlnse g l Huhinsun. Eakins i ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 20, 193% AUEOWTEG cmomtn FDR PRQiJESSKNG TWRMIHBNEC TUBES AND THE LEE Henry W. Parker and Joseph R. Eakins, Toronto, iintario, Canada, assignors to Rogers Tuba, Ltd, Toronto, Qntcrio, Canada, a cerporation of Canada Application September 19, 1932, Serial No. 63.2.5955 l Claims. (Cl. 91-122) Our invention pertains in general to automatic machinery for use in the manufacture of electron tubes and thelilre and specifically relates to an automatic machine for treating the containing envelopes and bases of such tubes.

In the manufacture of certain types of electron tubes and the like, a metallic coating is exteriorly affixed to a. predetermined portion of the glass tube envelope and often to the side walls of the m tube base. In the process of applying this metallic coating, the tube is'first put in a condition for best receiving and retaining the coating. This is accomplished by subjecting the tube to a blast of abrasive particles in order to toughen the rew quired area. of the surface. This roughened surface of the tube is then subjected to a. forced spray of the metallic coating material whereby a. uniform metallic coating is applied to the requiredsurface ores. of the tube. Various difiiculties 30 have been encountered in this process and it is,

one of the objects of our invention to produce a. machine for preparing tubes and applying thereto a metallic coating in an efficient automatic operation which overcomes difliculties heretofore g5 encountered. v I I Another object of our invention consists in producing an automatic tube coating machine in which mechanical parts upon which metallic sprays and sand blasts would have a. deleterious effect are entirely removed from the vicinity of such actions.

A further object comprises providing an automatic tube coating machine for processing a. tube surface in a continuous operation whereby a. re- 'stricted area or the tube envelope is first sub- I jected to an abradant action and then coated by a spraying action, means for restricting the area of the tube envelope subject to such actions being continuously employed during the process to avoid =0 non-uniformity of the treated area. A's'till further object consists in providing a. method of manufacturing coated tube surfaces in a continuous automatic process involving simple and efficient. apparatus. A

These and other objectswill be apparent in the following, reference being had'to the accompanying drawings in which like reference numerels designate corresponding parts throughout, and in which:

Fig. 1 is a-general view of one embodiment of the automatic'tube machine of our invention;

Fig. 2 .is a partial rear view of the machine represented in Fig. 1; and i. Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional'view of a constructional detail of the tube machine of our invention.

Our invention contemplates providing an automatic tube coating machine employing a. multiplicity of tube supporting units which are mounted upon a. moving platform for subjecting the tubes to an abradent action and then to a. spraying action in a continuous automatic operation. It is an especial feature of our invention that the tube supporting units each provide means for supporting the tube and for defining the restricted area of the tube envelope to be treated by both operations of abradant blasting and metal spraying. The tube supporting units of our invention are rotatably mounted upon a. moving platform continuously moving through disjunct regions of processing actions for preparing the restricted area of the surface of the tube and for applying a. metallic coating exactly within the confines of that restricted area. The regions of the processing action respectively include an abrasive blasting unit and a metal spraying unit, mechanical means being provided to cause the movement of V these units with respect to the tube to ensure complete and proper; processing. All of the mechenical elements are so situated and defined in our automatic tube machine that gears, bearings and otherparts apt to be deleteriously affected by the abradant blasting and spraying operations are situated externally of theregions of these openations.

Referring to theclrawings in detail, and particularly to 'Fig. 1,.there is provided a. mainframe 1, including transverse members 3 and 4 through which a. shaft 2 is 'journaled. The lower endof the shaft 2'terminates in a circular platform 5, the upper end of the shaft 2 being provided with a'worm-wheel 6 engaging with a. worm-gear 7. The worm-gear 7 is mounted upon a shaft 8 journaled in suitable bearings and is provided with a worm-wheel 9 engaging with worm-gear 11; The worm-gear 11 is mounted upon a. shaft 12 journaled in suitable bearings and provided with large and small pulley wheels 13 and 14,res'pectively. The pulley wheel 13 is rigidly secured to the shaft 12 while the pulley wheel 14 is floating-thereon. A belt is provided between pulley wheel 13 and a. pulley wheel 16 provided on the armature shaft of the motor 1'7. Another belt is provided between the pulley wheel 14 and'a. pulley wheel similar to the pulley wheel 16 also mounted on the armature shaft of motor 17.

Consideration will now be given to the tube supporting unit employed in our automatic tube 11 machine and shown in detail in Fig. 3. Refer ring to Fig. 3, a circular base 20 is provided with two oppositely positioned upstanding rods 21 and 22. The center portion of the base 20 includes a hollow boss 23 upon which a tube, such as tube 24, may be mounted, it .being seen that 'the base 24b of the tube 24 rests upon the boss and the terminal pins of the tube extend within the hollow portion thereof.

7 The external portion of the tube 24 to be treated includes the exterior of the base and the exterior of the tube envelope proper up to, but not including, a' small cured in a member 26 mounted between two sleeves 27 and 28 adapted to slide over the rods 21 and 22, respectively. When the sleeves 27 and 28 are positioned upon the rods. 21 and 22,

theweight of member 26 causes the cup to annularly engage the upper surface of the tube 24 and protect the area surrounding the terminal 24c from exposure to the abradant and coating operations. The base 20 is provided with a hole for making a running fit with anyone of a plurality of bearing members 30 positioned around the outer edge of the platform 5 (see Fig. 1).

In the operation of the system of our invention, the cup 25 remains upon the tube 24 during the entire processing, thereby ensuring that the area subjected to the sand blasting operationwill exactly coincide with the area subjected to the coating operation, thus avoiding any dissymmetry in'the finished product. It will be noted that sleeves 2'1 and 28 cover the areas of the rods 21 and 22 upon which the sleeves 2'1 I and 28 slide and therefore avoid damage which 32 and 33. The

might result from exposure to the abradant' and coating actions. The bearing member 30 is also protected from such actions by the proximity of the base member 20.

Referring again to Fig. 1, it will be seen that the tube supporting units are mounted upon the bearing members 30 of the platform 5. The rotation of platform 5 is effected through shaft 2 driven by previously mentioned gears coupled with motor 17. The main-frame 1 supports'two enclosedcompartmentsi'nerally indicated at platform 5- rotates through both of thesecompartments, suitable openings being provided so that the tube supporting units on the platform-5 can pass therebetween. Compartment 32, which encloses the region of the abradant'blasting operation, may be better seen by referenceto Fig. 2.

Referring to Fig. 34 mounted upon a member 35 depending from a walking beam 36. The nozzle 34 is connected through a hose 3'! with means for supplying a forced blast carrying abrasive particles, such as sand; The equipment ifor supplying such a forced abradant blast may-be of any desired type and fixtures incidental to such equipment are shown in part in Fig. 1, being generally indicated by reference number 40. Beneath the compartment 32 a hopper 39 "is provided .for

storage of the abrasive material.

Referring again to Fig. 1, a spraying unit 41 is provided the compartment 33 and .mounted upon a member 42 depending ifrom a her.

2, there is provided a nozzle out in the appended claims.

walking beam 43. The spraying unit 41 may be any desired device for producing aforced spray of a metallic coating ,andis provided with connections to suitable supply equipment.

Shafts 45 and 46 are journaled in suitable mountings and hang within the compartments 32 and 33, respectively. The lower extremities of shafts 45 and 46 are provided with disks 4'1 and 48, respectively, the peripheries of which are provided with aresilient material such as rub- Shafts 45.and 46 are so positioned that when the platform 5 is rotated the base member 20 of the tube supporting units carried by platform 5 will come into engagement with the disks 47 and 48. The shafts 45 and 46 driven by motor 17 through suitable intermediate gearing including pulley wheel 14, impart rotary motion to the tube supporting units coming into engagement therewith as the platform 5Tis revolved. It will be noted that the'position ofthe disks 4'! and 48 causes the tube supporting units engaging therewith to be rotated directly in proximity to the sand blasting nozzle 34 in compartment 32 and the spraying unit 41 in compartment 33. The

walking beams 36 .and 43, from which the blasting nozzle 34 and spraying unit 41 depend, are pivoted at- 60 and 61 respectively. The extremities of the walking'beams 36 and 43 peripherallyengage cams 62 and 63 mounted inshafts 12 and 8, respectively. Rotation of cams 62 and 63 through the intermediate gearing driven by motor 17 imparts an oscillating movement to the walking beams 36 and 43 thereby causing the blasting nozzle 34 in compartment 32 and the spraying unit 42 in compartment 33 to move in a reciprocative motion vertically relative tothe tubes carried by the tube supporting units in proximitythereto. During such reciprocative motion the disks 47 and 48 cause the tube sup porting units proximate to the blasting nozzle 34 and to the spraying unit 41 to be rotated whereby the tubes supported thereby are sub jected to a thorough and uniform processing action over-the required areas thereof. Vents '43 and 49 are provided in compartments 32 and 33 and connect with suitable apparatus for remov ing accumulations from these 00' In the operation of our automatic tube machine, an operator may be positioned at a point indicated as A for placing and removing tubes as the platform 5rotates. Theentire operationof blasting and coating-the tube is continuous and automatic, the proper processing of the tube being ensured under automatic control.

Although we have shown a preferred embodiment of the automatic tube machine of our in- -vention, it will of course be obvious that various modifications and changes therein will readily occur to those skilled in theart upon'an understanding of ourdisclosure, but which will-not be- 135 apartfrom the intended scope of our invention.

We vdo not therefore desire to limit ourselves to the foregoing except insofaras be pointed What we claimfas new'and sire to secure by Letters Patent vof-the'tlnitcii I Statesis:

I 1. A processing system comprising. means for producing disjunct regions of was actions,

.a platform for supporting and a-plurality 1 ,5

of object supporting units through said regions. each of said objectsupportingunits of a base provided with a plurality of and an object retaining memberprovided with apluralityo'fsleevesforsaidstandards marmalade-7 4 respectively, said sleeves being each of substan tially the same length as said standards, means within said regions for imparting mechanical motion to said object supporting units. one at a 1, in which said processing actions are individually abradant and spraying.

4. An automatic processing machine for electron tubes and the like comprising, a rotatable platform, a plurality of tube supporting units pivotally mounted on said platform, each of said tube supporting units comprising, a base provided with a plurality of standards and an object retaining member provided with a plurality of sleeves for engaging said standards respectively, said sleeves being each of substantially the same length as said standards, an abradant blasting device situated upon one side of said platform, a spraying device situated on the other side of said platform, said last two mentioned devices being so situated as to produce disjunct regions of abradant and spraying actions, a motor, gears coupling said motor with said platform for causing the rotation thereof whereby said tube .supporting units sequentially pass through said abradant and spraying regions, said motor and said gears being located above said abradant and spraying regions, rotatable devices within said regions for imparting rotary motion to said tube supporting unitsand gearing located above said abradant and spraying regions and interconnecting said motor and said rotatable devices for effecting the rotary motion thereof.

5. An automatic processing machine in accordance with claim 4 including means operated by said motor for causing the reciprocative movement of said abradant blasting device and said spraying device with respect to said tube supporting units within their respective regions of action.

6. An automatic processing system in accord-' ance with claim 4 in which each of said tube supporting units includes resilient means adapted to be attached to a desired surface of a tube supported thereby to protect that area in the same extent from both abradant and spraying actions.

7. A processing machine comprising, means for supporting and moving a plurality of object supporting units, separate means for sequentially producing an abradant action and a spraying action in the path of movement of said object supporting units each of said object supporting units comprising upper and lower members for engaging an object therebetween and means for restricting the area of said object subjected to said abradant and spraying actions to the portion of said object not engaged by said upper and lower members, means for automatically imparting additional motion to said object supporting units only in the regions of said abradant and spraying actions whereby the exposed surfaces of the objects supported by said object supporting units are uniformly exposed to each of said actions.

HENRY W. PARKER. JOSEPH R. EAKINS.

III 

